Zimbabwe & Zambia 2025-01: A Green Season Photography Adventure

We’ll arrive late morning at Victoria Falls Airport and transfer to our lodge. The afternoon will be spent photographing Victoria Falls.

Transfer mid-morning by light aircraft from Victoria Falls to Davison’s Camp in the southern-eastern corner of Hwange National Park. Here, our Zimbabwe safari begins off the beaten track in a open-sided 4WD game vehicles.

Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest National Park, is home to some of southern Africa’s last great elephant, buffalo and sable herds. We’ll spend 6 full days exploring the south-eastern corner of Hwange, in the private Linkwasha concession. Here, the eastern edge of the Kalahari sands merge with grasslands and teak forests to host a great variety of desert-adapted and woodland species.

We’ll base ourselves at Davison’s, an intimate and secluded tented camp providing unsurpassed game-viewing experiences. Large numbers of animals move through the landscape year-round – elephant, buffalo, sable, roan, giraffe, wildebeest, impala and even gemsbok. Predators follow them closely – lion, leopard, wild dog and cheetah, along with African wildcat, serval and spotted hyaena.

Our safari game drives are diverse and interesting, highlighting something new each day, whether it is cheetah stalking stealthily through the grasses, prides of lions lounging in the shade, a journey of giraffes wandering through Ngamo Plains, or wild dogs on a hunt. Rewarding wildlife encounters are never far away in Hwange. A log-pile hide (blind) situated next to the camp watering hole where waterfowl gather!

Avian activity abounds in Hwange, with such highlights as ostrich, kori bustard, secretary bird, swallow-tailed bee-eaters, Burchell’s sandgrouse,  lilac-breasted roller, magpie shrike, and many more. Hornbills are well represented with grey, southern red-billed, southern yellow-billed and the large southern ground-hornbill.

Raptors include African fish eagle, African hawk-eagle, lesser spotted eagle, martial eagle, bateleur, and black-chested snake-eagle. White-headed, African white-backed and lappet-faced vultures constantly search for carcasses. Owls are always a treat to find, from the diminutive pearl-spotted and African barred owlet, to giant Verreaux’s eagle-owls.

Walking amongst the African landscape is a special treat, and we’ll have opportunity to explore on foot, escorted by an armed, certified safari guide who will share their knowledge and insights about many aspects of plants and wildlife. We’ll examine large termite mounds, a fascinating part of the ecosystem, watch determined dung beetles do their work, and look for signs of animal tracks.

Our days generally begin with early morning breakfast, followed by a game drive. We’ll return for a mid-day meal and opportunity to journal, or relax until the afternoon game drive. Happy hour sundowners may be enjoyed on the ride back, arriving in time for delicious dinners served by wonderfully friendly staff.

We’ll experience the nocturnal side of Hwange’s wildlife during night game drives, with chances to see owls, nightjars, lesser bushbaby, genets, yellow mongoose, scrub hare, springhare and even honey badger.

We’ll transfer mid-morning from Davison’s Camp by light aircraft to Victoria Falls Airport. From there, it’s a short drive to the Zambian border, where we’ll clear customs and immigration before continuing to Toka Leya, a beautiful camp situated on the banks of the Zambezi River.

We’ll enjoy a wonderful sunset river cruise on the Zambezi River, looking out for Half-collared Kingfisher, African Finfoot, African Skimmer, Rock Pratincole, Water Thick-knees, White-crowned Lapwing, and elephants swimming across the river!

We’ll observe enormous Nile crocodiles basking on the banks and pods of hippos wallowing in the shallows.

We’ll settle in for three full days/nights in the luxurious Toka Leya camp, exploring the area with several activities planned.

Victoria Falls – one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – is known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the Smoke that Thunders.” This fitting name reflects the plumes of spray that are visible for some distance, caused by the cascading waters of the Zambezi River. This area showcases spectacular scenic beauty, from thundering falls to picturesque flowing waters lined by lush vegetation. Wildlife shows abundantly while boating on the river, or enjoying game drives in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park upstream from the falls.

The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park encompasses mopane and Zambian teak woodlands, and thick riverine forest of palm trees along the banks of the Zambezi River. The park is home to many birds including Black-collared Barbet, Southern Black Tit, Collared Palm Thrush, Arrow-marked Babbler, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Broad-billed Roller, Black Cuckoo-Shrike and Jacobin Cuckoo. Mammals include elephant, southern giraffe, greater kudu, common zebra, buffalo, sable antelope, and impala.

There will be an optional (price not included) helicopter ride over Victoria Falls and into the gorge.

This is the only location in Zambia to see rare white rhino; decades of poaching had eliminated 12,000 of them by 1993. Four white rhinos were introduced to the park in 2008, and their number has increased under close guard by armed rangers. We’ll take an exciting guided walk through the open bush to look for these rare, beautiful creatures.

The final hours of our African safari we reflect on amazing wildlife, stunning landscapes, and experiences of a lifetime in Zimbabwe and Zambia. At mid-morning, we say good-bye to our wonderful hosts and guides, and transfer to Livingstone Airport for international departures returning to the US.

Please note that this itinerary is a guideline, and while we hope to do everything on safari, activities are subject to change, due to circumstances beyond our control.